In national education rankings, unfortunately Alabama doesn’t seem to rank very high. One of the more recent rankings had the state at 45 out of 50. But they seem to making strides to change that…

Alabama has recently become the first state to approve a bible textbook for public high schools. The book “The Bible and it’s Influence” became accepted as a highschool textbook throughout the state and is going to have a big impact on other states considering adding it to their own curriculum. There are currently 163 high schools in the country using the book, but Alabama is the first to adopt the book statewide. Not only that, but any school desiring to use the book will be able to get it using state provided funds until 2013.

According to the Alabama state Board of Education, the book, created by the Bible Literacy Project, is considered “sufficient to be used as the sole textbook/program for a particular grade or course and meet[s] 80% or more of the standards outlined in the state course of study and/or is sufficient to be used as the sole textbook for an elective course.”

The textbook is said to be more academic and not a devotional by showing how the Bible influenced people in different times and occupations.

I am happy to hear that Alabama is stepping up and making a choice about it’s future. Not having read the book, I’m still a little concerned about how it presents the Bible, but having a textbook about the Bible and it’s influence in public schools will hopefully be the start of something larger. We need to be teaching our kids the truth and the only way to teach them the truth is to lead them to the Truth.